DJI models currently dominate our top picks, and there's a good reason for that. The company is simply a few steps ahead of its competition right now, and has a product catalog with models at various price points, which take up a good number of the slots in our top ten. It made a huge splash with its iconic Phantom series, and now makes the best small drones we've tested in the form of the Mavic series.

Despite the DJI Phantom 4 Pro being a few years old, it’s still one of the most popular auto-pilot drones amongst professional aerial photographers. The 1080p camera is great for capturing brilliant imagery. It’s larger than the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, and missing some of the extra camera features, but it’s still a solid professional autopilot drone. The Phantom has three flight modes that are easy to switch between. In Position Mode offers obstacle sensing, Sport Mode adds extra agility and higher speed. While in Sport Mode, the Phantom can reach 45mph speeds. Atti Mode is ideal for the most experienced pilots. It switches off satellite stabilization and hold’s the drone’s altitude, making for smoother footage. This a top choice for professional pilots.

This guide will walk you through some of the features and capabilities you can expect to find in a drone under $100, in addition to some more general considerations when comparing UAVs. We also recommend several models, so you can spend more time learning to navigate around trees and less time worrying about finding a drone that matches your needs.

At that point, the advanced obstacle avoidance systems and SmartCapture features are just icing on the cake. But these high-tech features also make the drone extremely accessible to newer pilots who may not know how best to handle their first photography drone. So if you want the power of a Mavic 2 with a less frightening price and intimidating feature set, the Mavic Air is an excellent choice.
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I spoke to these guys when I wrote my complete review of the Altair Aerial AA108 which you can read here. They picked up their customer service phone line on the 2nd ring, which in itself is amazing when you’re talking about drone companies. I’m so used to trying to reach a company only to find out they operate out of China!They have a great product, with specs at least as good as any other drone in this category.
I spoke to these guys when I wrote my complete review of the Altair Aerial AA108 which you can read here. They picked up their customer service phone line on the 2nd ring, which in itself is amazing when you’re talking about drone companies. I’m so used to trying to reach a company only to find out they operate out of China!They have a great product, with specs at least as good as any other drone in this category.
This is the drone you start with if you're worried about crashing. Thanks to flexible plastic and propellor protectors, you could drop this on the ground or fly into a wall without too much damage. It has a camera if you are just getting into drone photography, but we prefer this model as a starter quadcopter. Beware: when it has low battery, the drone tends to lose connection with the controller. This could become tragic if you've flown the drone over water.
The Syma X5C-1 was our top pick for this roundup, for the reasons of stability, wind-resistance and just being a great all around quadcopter is this price range. The popularity of this model means you will be able find lots of spare parts and find more answers to problems when you have questions. That being said, all the models we reviewed here make for great drones and a good bang for the buck. We hope the information we provided helps you find the best drone under $100.
Altitude Hold The drone will constantly move to a predetermined height, which facilitates control. Great drone for children and beginners. Battle Drone Fun Compete with the opponent firing the infrared, the drone will land slowly after 4 strokes. Headless mode You do not need to be anxious or confused with the direction of the drone when it flies away. In this mode, the front is in any way that the pilot is watching. Flight time 9 minutes, 3-speed mode, 3D flips, emergency stop, recalibration of a key. A key start / landing The quadcopter is equipped with a key that starts and lands, which makes the drone easier to fly and better to control.

With headless mode, you don’t need to worry which way the drone is facing because your controller is the basis for the drone’s orientation. In other words, whichever way the controller is pointing is the way the drone is pointing. This will help you master all aspects of drone flight, and as such it is one of the top features that beginners should consider.

A. FAA guidelines state that a pilot must maintain visual contact with the drone at all times. There is also a maximum height restriction of 400 feet. If a drone flies out of controller range, it should have the ability to return to a programmed home location. Some advanced drones can send back real-time video data to the controller, but most consumer-level models don’t have that capability.
As mentioned above, you will crash, and you certainly don't want to go home empty-handed. Having back-up propellers can make or break your day. Extra batteries are also a must. Current battery chemistry limits flight times to somewhere between 5 and 25 minutes for most amateur drones. Having plenty of charged spares means you can fly longer — though flying for more than 30 minutes straight can be fatiguing.
You get up to 9 minutes of flight time, have a 640x480p camera, and video capabilities that lack audio as there is no microphone. You can do flips in the air at the touch of a button on the transmitter, and there is a button that lets you share a video on social media instantly. The LED lights located at the center of each propeller and the headlight are pretty useful for flying at night, too.
At that point, the advanced obstacle avoidance systems and SmartCapture features are just icing on the cake. But these high-tech features also make the drone extremely accessible to newer pilots who may not know how best to handle their first photography drone. So if you want the power of a Mavic 2 with a less frightening price and intimidating feature set, the Mavic Air is an excellent choice.
And the best part? You can fly it with your smartphone, or pick up Yuneec’s dedicated controller system if you want tighter, more responsive controls. In other words, if you start with this drone, you’ll be able to learn the ins and outs of piloting a quadcopter — but more importantly, you’ll also be able to upgrade your setup as your skills progress and your needs change.

The Altair Aerial Outlaw Drone is one of the best GPS drones around and the absolute best that you can find for under $300. Thanks to the stabilization features in GPS flight mode, this drone will keep itself hovering in midair at whatever place you choose for it to go, making it easy to line up the perfect shot for your photo or video camera. It also has a 1000 meter flight range and a flight time of nearly 20 minutes, which is great for aerial photographers who need time for a longer shoot. If you want high definition, pro-quality photography at a price that won’t break the bank, the Outlaw is the choice for you!

Although this HD Drone can be flown safely outside, make sure to avoid too much wind whenever possible. This is a lightweight drone, and as such it is susceptible to harsher weather conditions than some of the heavier, higher end drones. For hobbyists just itching to go out on blustery days when the wind is howling, try leaving the drone at home and taking a kite out instead.
All of these multirotors include the essentials; a battery, charger, remote (more commonly referred to as a transmitter), and of course the quadcopter itself. All of these are controlled using a standard mode 2 style transmitter with the throttle on the left and adjustable trim settings. They all also handle using the same basic control scheme and the same basic auto-leveling flight mode, but much like a car, they all feel distinctly different to control.
Registering is easy. If you have a toy drone, you probably don’t need to register it, but for those of you buying camera drones, here’s how it works. You just go to registermyuas.faa.gov, fill out a few important questions like what model drone you have, where you live, and your email address. Then you pay a small license fee, print out your new registration number, and attach it to your drone in a place where it can be seen.

For those looking for a basic done that has FPV camera capabilities that are still pretty decent, but at a fair price, the Hubsan H502S is definitely the way to go. There are minimal features, mostly just the GPS function, which is a nice touch that makes all the difference, and you get up to 12 minutes of flying time on a single charge. You also get Return to Home, Follow Me, one-key control, the whole set.